


Xue Yang's Song

by Pitycup_hearts



Category: Mo Dao Zu Shi, The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Female Protagonist, I just wanted xue yang to be happy, M/M, Slow Burn, female oc - Freeform, wwx and lwj don't really appear in this story i'm sorry, xue yang is misunderstood, yes i made a random chick up so xue yang could be happy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-07-29 09:42:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,796
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20080114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pitycup_hearts/pseuds/Pitycup_hearts
Summary: Misunderstood by many, Xue Yang gets another chance when the story is rewritten. After losing an arm in battle, Xue Yang becomes a wanderer waiting for his death when he meets YiSang, a mysterious girl with red hair. YiSang, a guardian snake from present day, has been transferred into the world and finds that the plot has been disturbed. Looking for Wei WuXian, for the protagonist could be her ticket out, she finds that her guide could very much be the villain Xue Yang who's out for revenge. She speaks differently, dressed differently, and knows too much about him, so he has every reason to keep a cautious eye on her. With nothing but her earphones for comfort, she introduces Xue Yang to the world of music as the two become comrades. When will be the right time to tell Xue Yang that he dies? Or can she change that?





	1. Xue Yang

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, Xue Yang is one of my favs and I wondered what could've happened for things to be different so I made some chick up so he could be happy. Shoot me.   
Is this chapter too long? Lemme know! I'll shorten them ♥

The third time should do it. She landed in a mound of grass next to a pile of dung, poured out as fertilizer. With her feet close to her chest, her eyes clamped shut, it didn’t take long until her muscles cramped up, ultimately waking her. She didn’t exactly wake with a start, the putrid smell hitting her senses, but her eyes croaked open, letting the sunlight in. All at once, she felt the urge to gag, everywhere mud and manure, almost like she could taste the saltiness of it in between her teeth. Pulling herself to her feet, she got up, rubbing her hands on her trouser legs. A quick stretch, then she took her surroundings in. Trees, a lot of dirt, much too hot for the living, insects flying everywhere, some hay, some chickens walking at random. She sighed.

_Third time and I’m still not home, _she thought, and even worst, it seemed the more she travelled in between the realms, she went farther back rather then to her present time. It wasn’t that she was an expert at time travel or anything. She had no idea where she was, simply learning from the village folk about where she was going until something swept her off her feet and she landed in another time. Each transition it seemed, gave her more of her belongings. The first thing she checked was inside her trouser pockets for her earphones. They were still there, so she’d be able to defend herself, good. This time, she seemed to have afforded her own clothes as well. In high waisted harem trousers and a black tank top, with wrist supports because she had broken her wrists in a fight she had had before she was transferred for the first time. She remembered someone yelling for her to run and then there was an explosion. Faintly, she could recall the door coming off its hinges and knocking her in the back, her earphones flying from her ears as she meditated. Now she was here, and needed again to search for a portal or some information to get out. Maybe just keep wandering until she magically disappeared again.

As she walked around, it occurred to her that having her own clothing wasn’t a luxury at all. People stared at her strangely, and many avoided conversation with her.

_I must look like a cheap prostitute, _she thought, then cracked a smile, _with red hair. _Perhaps instead, they thought she was a demon. She was after all, born under a music festival statue in the middle of a little pond where she existed as the keeper, a red snake. But she was nothing like such, just eyes that sometimes became slits, sometimes turning gold. She wasn’t very flexible, but she was rather nimble. Eventually, someone had smashed the statue of her pond and freed her.

“Excuse me, kind Miss, can you tell me where it is that I am?” She asked a passing village woman. A child stood at the woman’s feet, gazing at her awkwardly as if assessing what qualities of hers made her a freak. The woman frowned at her, then looked on with pity.

“My dear young one, you are at Yi City. Come away from here. The place is haunted.”

“Wonderful,” she accidentally replied out loud. _Never anywhere normal. Yi CIty. Where have I heard of that? _She paced farther off, listening to village folk speak freely. When she saw a brewery, or what she considered a brewery, she leaned in by the outer pew to listen to everyone speak.

“Yeah, it’s already been determined that Xue Yang’s the reasoning behind their deaths. What a shame. Other cultivators are already on their way after word spread. What could’ve caused such a young boy to murder so many people?”

Again, the information was too familiar. Where had she heard the name before? She reached into her pocket for coins, but their currency seemed far different than hers. She couldn’t sit down for a drink even if she wanted, and wouldn’t it seem out of character for a female to do so? Just then, one of the speakers looked up at her, having had noticed something red in his peripheral.

“Am I so drunk already? Says the lord, her hair’s red!”

“I haven’t even touched mine yet. No, you’re right, her hair’s red,” said another. Without thinking twice, she walked farther on, almost in a run. Then like lightening, everything seemed to rush back into her. Every last one of the words and chapters zipped through her head, located on her friend’s shelf. She had read the book more than half way through but never finished it. She was there, _that_ place.

_Damn it, I can’t remember how everything happens. This is bad, _she reminded herself. From what she had read, the world wasn’t a great place to be in. And Xue Yang? Xue Yang died, didn’t he? Here, he had yet to die. Great, she’d just avoid him.

_Or, he may know exactly where to take me so that I can get out of here. Where ever he goes, he’ll surely run into that Wei something. Wei Zhan? Wu Zhan? What the hell was it? _She walked for a while before she heard a coughing sound from farther off. Her instincts instantly told her to ignore it and go on her way, but her head told her that what she needed would be right there.

As she had expected, she saw a young man resting by a tree, he seemed to have choked on something he had been eating.

“Is it fun to watch?” He asked. The first thing she noticed was his one arm. His left arm was missing. The second thing she noticed was that his pinky was missing on the one arm he had left. Other than that, his features were sharp, an amused mouth and laughing eyes. His jaw line was set, and his build was firm, but where was his arm?

_Wait. If this is Yi city, why are there people here? It was completely haunted. And you’re…you’re supposed to be dead from this wound, right? _She ultimately decided that if she left him there, he would eventually die and nothing would change. A pity she couldn’t find that Wei character yet. Then it occurred to her just how healthy Xue Yang looked. He had had plenty of time to heal from his wound, or was healing. There was no blood, just steady breathing, fair and healthy skin. He was completely fine.

_So, I’m just staring at a psychopath, _she thought, nodding at herself. Xue Yang seemed to mistake this as her answer and laughed. His laughter brought bells with it, like music played but stopped abruptly because it wasn’t sure what song to play.

“Shouldn’t I laugh at you instead? What happened to your clothes? Run into some rowdy men?” Xue Yang asked nonchalantly. “And don’t tell me you’re not selling, I always run into girls that lie. Last one pretended to be blind.”

“I remember that.”

“Excuse me?” Xue Yang’s smile disappeared with suspicion. His eyes grew sharper as he scrutinized her.

“You killed her,” she told him. That she remembered. She had been furious.

“I really didn’t. I left her there and went on my way, but good imagination. Name?”

“What do you mean you left her there? You blinded her and cut out her tongue.”

“I flicked her in the forehead, stole a steamed bun from out provisions and went on my way. I did not kill her.”

“Wow, you’re literally out of your mind.”

Xue Yang didn’t rush himself in standing up. He did so without the assistance of his hands, firmly standing a head taller than her.

“Okay, forget it. I’m not here to fight you anyway,” she turned to walk away before causing any trouble. In her hands, she tightly squeezed her earphones. She reached out and put one in her ear for good measure. Music instantly danced into hearing perception, causing her nerves to die down.

“You think I was going to be a good customer? You take disabled gents too?”

“I’m not selling, Xue Yang.”

A pause.

“You know my name.”

“I do.

“But nothing about me apparently,” he snickered, a devilish grin appearing on his face.

“Apparently not. Tell me something.”

“Yeah?”

“How long ago did the Yiling patriarch die?”

“What? He’s still alive.” Completely taken aback, Xue Yang frowned, but she only looked back in confusion, but she stared back with the same expression.

“How do I get home if the story changed?”

\---

She tried to reason with herself, perhaps he knew that XuanYu was now that Wei kid. She excused herself and began to walk away when she heard his footsteps behind her. He wasn’t just right on her tail, he was standing directly behind her.

“Prostitute, you need to explain yourself.”

“It’s Lu YiSang. I don’t have another name so just call me YiSang. Prostitute’s just not going to cut it.”

“Okay, Prostitute _YiSang_, why did you suddenly ask about his death? Surely I would’ve heard if he passed.”

“Forget I said anything.” She took a step forward when she heard the shink of a blade, and felt its cold press under her neck. She sighed, unaffected and completely expectant.

“Are you going to cut me before I say anything?”

“Speak and you will not bleed,” Xue Yang mused, his lips by her ear.

“I rather just bleed repetitively until i’m dead and I don’t have to jump around anymore.”

“Hey now,” he pursed his lips. “It’s no fun for me if you want to die.”

“It’s no fun for me if you’re having all of that fun.” She slid herself downward and out from under his blade, walking forward and stopping for him to catch up. He did so expectantly, sheathing his blade for she was obviously not a threat.

_Have him think that. It’s better that way. _She thought as he followed her. It was a silent traipse, both sides saying nothing for quite a bit before her arms began to sweat and perspiration built itself on her upper lip.

“You should tie your hair up. It’s hot,” she told him, for his black hair flicked back and forth on his upper back, most likely taking up sweat as it went. Xue Yang snickered again, not saying anything afterwards.

“Why do you find that funny?”

“You got cruel humor, I like it.”

“How is that cruel hu – “ Just then she remembered he had one hand. He couldn’t tie up his hair even if he wanted to. “Sit down, I’ll tie it.”

Xue Yang seemed to contemplate. He looked her up and down and informed himself how absolutely regular she was for she had no core. He sat down comfortably, a permanent wicked smile on his face.

“Wipe that smile off. I want a trade.”

“What trade?” He looked alert again, his smile a bit distorted as if someone just reminded him that he only had one arm.

“Give me your outer shirt so I can cover my hair.”

“Oh yeah, with it being red and all.”

“How come you didn’t react to it?”

“Because prostitutes do some outrageous things, Prostitute. How’d you even get that color in? Chalk?”

She sucked her teeth, causing him to laugh. “I’m not a prostitute.”

“And I didn’t kill A-Qing.”

“I believe you.”

“Why would you?” This was an accusatory tone. He watched her intently as if waiting for her to strike.

“Because it doesn’t change anything for me if what you’re saying is false or true. I really don’t care. Sit, and give me your shirt when I’m finished.” She tied his hair with the only ribbon in her hair, a high ponytail that barely touched his neck. When she had done her deed, he handed her his outer shirt which didn’t stink the way she had intended. It smelled of grass and whatever he had been cooking, instead of sweat and mud.

“You smell good,” she said, then wished she could take it back. It was strange to say to a stranger, and a psychopath.

_That’s enough complimenting for the rest of my life, _YiSang thought. Next to her, Xue Yang just chuckled, and in a sing song manner, he replied.

“I try, I try.”

“No, you don’t.” And that was that.

After a long walk, the sun began to set, her legs were aching from its endeavors, and her stomach growled through her intestines and ribcage. She refused to admit that her strength was leaving her considering the psychopath was still insanely behind her, walking with menacing nonchalance and ease. It was almost infuriating. She finally stopped to call him out.

“Xue Yang.”

He walked into her on purpose. She stumbled, but righted herself again, almost glaring, but decided not to make an enemy just yet.

“Me,” he replied, a mocking tight lipped smile. At this, YiSang rolled her eyes and created distance between them.

“Why are you following me?”

“Because,” he paused and started laughing. Then he circled her once, walked off by a few meters, then returned to her with a grin on his face. She lifted her left eyebrow higher than the sky with annoyance, before he answered. “You don’t know where you’re going.”

_Gods, he’s right. _She had been walking everywhere but somewhere.

“Are you so lack of amusement that you’ll follow me aimlessly? Go away.”

“Ah, but wait, wait, wait,” an index finger up, “I, Xue Yang, Me,”

“Get to the point.”

“Me, Xue Yang, I,” he continued, unbothered from the interruption, “is waiting rather patiently for you to hand me my shirt back. After all, the trade was your ribbon tying expertise and my chastity.”

Her jaw almost dropped. “What chastity? This is just a shirt! Don’t spew nonsense!”

He started to roll with laughter again, buckling over, then standing with his only arm resting on his side. The other “arm” just dangled midair with its bandages, jetting out from his shoulder like it screamed “I, Xue Yang, Me.”

“It’s my outer garment, Prostitute.”

“YiSang.”

“Prostitute, YiSang.” The smile never left his face even as hers distorted into frustration. Still, she kept her temper, not allowing the red to meet her cheeks in anger or embarrassment. She was better than that.

“Don’t tell me you’re affected by your sudden vulnerability,” she tried.

“Hah! Vulnerability? I have a total of four fingers, Prostitute. Not you nor I think that I worry on clothes, just that that is mine and worth more than your measly ribbon or your tying technique.”

At this, she sucked in her lips, like she had just treaded somewhere she shouldn’t. It really was a shame, watching air pass by his sides where an arm should’ve dangled.

“Will you knock it off with this ribbon expertise? I just knotted it twice, shut up!” She turned and began to walk off, but when she didn’t hear his steps behind her, she turned to find him with his head cocked to the side in confusion.

“What now?” She demanded, exasperated by his behavior. He was too theatrically irritating.

“Knock. It. Off,” he told her.

“I’m not doing anything to you.”

“No, no, what does that mean? Knocking something off, knocking off the ribbon expertise. I’m afraid you have seriously confused me on this one. How frightening.”

She scoffed. “It means to stop doing something annoying, because you do a lot of annoying things. It’s critical that you know this saying. Commit it to memory.”

“Yes, Master,” he saluted her. She scoffed at his theatrics again, turning and marching off without checking to see if he followed or not. Surely enough, his treads evened with hers again, almost too silently. She was careful to allow her treads to make noise, less he grew suspicious of her stealth. When they arrived at the next village, YiSang opened her mouth to request an inn, but recalled that she had no money about her, and she doubted Xue Yang would pay for her, and she wouldn’t lose face by requesting. She waited until the villagers quieted down, pouring themselves into their houses and fell fast asleep before she found a hut with chickens.

“Look how good they look,” Xue Yang commented, poking a chicken’s neck like he was ready to chop it off. She slapped his hand, her gaze telling him again, “knock it off.”

“How could you possibly be so annoyed by my poking a chicken? Okay, okay, I’ll _knock it off._” And with that, he found a corner of the hut and leaned against the wall, but he didn’t fall asleep. Of course, he wouldn’t. He was going to wait for her to sleep first before he felt safe enough to allow rest.

_I must have a death wish if I sleep first. Gods damn it, go to sleep! _She yelled on the inside, but pretended like she was preparing for slumber herself. She settled down a pile of hay just as the chickens moved away from them. Surprisingly, they didn’t make much noise. They were most likely used to their owners coming in at random, or maybe passerbys coming in a disturbing them by sleeping.

YiSang’s eyes began to grow heavy, and her hunger further caused her fatigue. She pulled off Xue Yang’s shirt, because it was overwhelmingly hot, but she didn’t hand it back. She folded it and laid her head against it. Everywhere smelled like feathers, stuffy air, and chickens. She wondered for a while how she was going to fall asleep, opening one eye once in a while to find Xue Yang still sitting there, arms folded, his sword sticking out. He was watching her.

_What if he attacks me while I’m sleeping? Will I catch it in time? _She thought. If she put on her earphones, her instincts would be slower, and she definitely wouldn’t hear him coming in her sleep. She needed at least one ear. She put on one earphone, listening as soothing music slipped into hearing. Instantly, she could see Xue Yang raise an eyebrow, but he didn’t say anything. He looked a little more rigid, like she had given him another reason for his suspicions, but before she could make out anything else, sleep overwhelmed her, and she succumbed. She didn’t know if Xue Yang ever went to sleep.


	2. Toothpaste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...She thought just as her eyes caught sight of blood. It trickled down Xue Yang’s waist and across his ribcage. He was shirtless with the gore of his chopped off arm showing underneath its bandages.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the longer chapter again. This is all pre-typed and I guess I lost myself while I was going about it.  
I'm wondering if YiSang offends anyone. That was not my intention. I just want my mans to be with someone.

When morning came, the stench intensified. YiSang’s exhaustion prioritized and woke her, eyes snapping open, hands moving closer to her chest, her earphone already in one palm. She took in her surroundings and found that the corner where Xue Yang had sat was empty. Under her head, the shirt still laid. As she got up, she could feel the peel from the hay against her back, most likely leaving behind a string of patterns until the trauma went away. Her body ached again, having had slept on sticks and mud. Instantly, her stomach aggravated her, causing stars to dance in her vision. She caught the nearest stack of hay with one hand to steady herself, cursing her hunger for causing issues. She was a guardian after all. She shouldn’t have had to eat. But she did. After straightening herself, she turned to see Xue Yang enter. Her instincts immediately went for the shirt as she threw her arms through the holes and tied it. Xue Yang merely chuckled again. It seemed like all he ever did was amuse himself with things that weren’t very funny. It was sad humor. YiSang wasn’t good at jokes to make him laugh for real, and quite frankly, she didn’t want him laughing near her or anywhere near her.

Xue Yang was eating an apple, and a steamed bun from what her eyes told her. He balanced both in the same hand, taking a bite out of which flavor he desired more. It seemed he was more in favor of the apple this morning for it was more than half way finished, or he was leaving the best part for afterwards.

“Hey now, I wasn’t going to steal it back while you were using it as a soft pillow while I had to lean on a hard wall to sleep,” he mused. He finished the apple and threw the core onto the ground carelessly, causing her to tighten her lips.

“Stop littering. We borrowed their hut – “

“Correction,” he put a palm up. “We did not borrow anything. We snuck in here, so we are not abided by any mannerisms to keep the place clean.”

“We’re abided by our _own_ mannerisms to keep the place clean,” she snapped, snatching the core off the ground. She held it by the stem like it was a disgusting thing rather than just a simply finished breakfast.

“Didn’t have parents to raise me, don’t know what those are,” he said it unmindfully, like he didn’t understand that it was a tragic thing to say. She frowned at that, but didn’t say anything more of it. After all, YiSang didn’t have parents either. She could only remember being around her pond, hearing the music play above her, seeing through the eyes of the statue. Not once was anyone there to accompany her. And yet, it wasn’t lonely. So many people came to celebrate, and wishes were always made even though she couldn’t grant them. When there weren’t festivals, there were still people, plenty and plenty of people. Then she had been freed, free to live like humans did. She went to live with her friend’s family, and they were the closest to parents she could afford. Then came the siege, the attack, what ever it was that sent her away.

“Whatever,” she finally muttered. She stuffed her hands into her pocket to find a toothbrush and toothpaste though they were rather small.

_It’s not for survival but it’s totally appreciated! _She thought triumphantly. Her friend, LiHua, had introduced it to her and now she prized herself in good hygiene though she didn’t need it. Every transfer gave her more things, and though toothpaste wasn’t exactly needed, it was exactly wanted.

She got up, untying the shirt slightly and pulling it over her head like a shawl before she made her way to the pond. Along the way, she collected a basin to use the water. Xue Yang followed with the amused look on his face, like he couldn’t wait for her to do something strange. When she leveled herself near the pond, collected the water, and began to brush her teeth, his amused expression turned into one of peculiarity. He bent down on his knees near her and watched, a confused frown, eyebrows drawn up, but eyebrows drawn down, like they didn’t know what they were supposed to do. His sword still propped in the fold of his elbow, stuck out the back. As she finished, spitting into the basin and rinsing her mouth, she dumped the water into the grass to avoid dirtying the pond.

“What. Was. That.” Xue Yang couldn’t hide his discombobulation. He was still kneeled as she was standing, and she found the incident rather funny. Of course, he was thrown off. She had scrubbed her teeth with a stick and foamy paste, it was strange.

“It’s toothpaste,” she said.

“Why would you need to brush your teeth with a paste?”

“Here, I’ll lend you mine. You’ll see why. Just plop the paste on the brush and scrub until you mouth can’t hold any more foam, then just spit it out and rinse. You’ll feel super refreshed.”

“I don’t trust this paste stick of yours. Did you poi – “

“I promise.”

A pause.

“What?” Xue Yang asked, his expression now free of any distaste.

“I promise you’ll feel super refreshed,” she smiled at him. After all, giving tooth paste to such an era in time was such a move! She could barely keep the grin from her lips. Xue Yang on the other hand, seemed to have been struck with something. Everything rested in what she had said, and it no longer had any affiliation with the toothpaste. He seemed innocent all of the sudden, his usual grin falling to a solemn expression, timidly reaching out with his hands and took it from her.

“You promise?” He repeated, because it was apparently important.

“You won’t be disappointed. I promise,” then her grin came out, because she was surely correct. No one could be dissatisfied with tooth paste if they’ve never used it before. It would be a minty magic! And it didn’t even matter that she had to share her toothbrush with someone that never brushed before because they were book characters anyway.

Her brain yelled, _psychopath. _

Her eyes widened all of the sudden, like she was a fool. She had almost forgotten in all of her glory that Xue Yang was indeed a psychopath and even claimed to let A-Qing live.

_That’s impossible because he lost his arm. That means the scene with Xiao what’s his name already past and he killed her. So later comes the scene in present day where the white ribbon guy, Wan…Zhan? JiWang? What the hell was his name? _As she scrunched her face in frustration, below her, Xue Yang merely brushed his teeth, spitting it out too quickly the first time because spearmint was rather strong. He tried again the second time, doing it correctly, then spilled the water onto the grass as she had done.

“Great! We’ve killed the grass but at least the fish get to live,” YiSang said, jumping from her thoughts naturally as to avoid his suspicion again. If she remembered correctly, he would be suspicious anyway. His character was always on edge.

He snorted at her. “Not for long. The fishermen are coming.” This was apparently supposed to anger her in some way or make her retort but YiSang nodded at him.

“Well, you have to eat.”

He raised an eyebrow at her, then narrowed his eyes, not in a hateful way but a way that scrutinized her again.

“You don’t care if the fish die?”

“As a person who eats fish, I do not care if the fish die,” she replied thoughtlessly. She wished she could feel more, but she really didn’t. People sacrificed strange things to her as a guardian. She had received a dead dog at one point. Someone had cut themselves to bleed in her pond. She didn’t care about the fish that she was ultimately going to eat. People had to eat.

Xue Yang for reasons unknown, found this content as the best humor. He began to laugh rather hard, buckled over before he looked back at her with a wide grin. She robbed herself of any expression, staring at him blankly while she wondered what just happened.

“I mean, why?” She asked, because she didn’t know what else to say.

“Nothing, nothing,” he waved his hand. “It’s just funny that you don’t care about the fish.”

“Do prostitutes usually care about fish?”

“But you’re not a prostitute.” He was to reckless with this one. A devilish grin appeared on YiSang’s face as if she had afforded victory. He caught her expression in the nick of time but had nothing to retort what he had said. He tried a different one.

“But you’re still a woman, and woman care about things like that.”

“Yeah, and you’re supposed to protect me and give me all of your money.” She nodded at herself. Taking all of his money so she could get food was almost as handsome as he was. Xue Yang was obviously dumbfounded. He opened his mouth ready to say something but sucked in air instead. He switched the subject.

“Where are you going?” Was the question.

“Don’t you mean we?”

“Do you really think I’ll follow you?” He tested, turning his head a bit so that she stared at his cheek. It was a perfect place to slap if she ever thought of perfection. She would love to beat the crap out of him, but not right now. Right now, he wasn’t annoying enough. She hadn’t had to tell him to knock it off. He hadn’t done something to utterly ruin her life the way he had done to that poor Xiao character.

“As long as I have your shirt, won’t you be a good puppy?”

“Ha! I can just snatch it back, or even better, I can kill you and take it back.”

“Ah, yes, you could, but you’re too curious about where i’m headed and you like toothpaste now, don’t you?”

“What if I killed you and took the tooth paste?”

“Where will you get more when that tube runs out?” Not that YiSang had more anyway, but she was pretty sure she wasn’t supposed to die in this story. Not that that had anything to do with the plot either. It was a frustrating endeavor.

“Where can I get more?”

“I can’t tell you that.” Because she really couldn’t. But it didn’t matter, as long as he helped her find the protagonist, she was sure that Wei kid would find a way to free her. The previous transfer she was in didn’t work out before the summer heat caused her to black out where she ultimately landed here. Something about the places she was landing was too familiar to her. She needed to find a way home before she lost consciousness to the heat again. It would be silly to start over. At least in this world she had an idea of what was supposed to happen. She didn’t exactly remember the characters complaining about the heat, but it was a little unbearable. She wished she didn’t have to wear another layer over what she already wore.

She began to walk, and as expected, again, Xue Yang followed behind her, as if he was watching her to make a move that he could consider a threat. She ignored him. As long as he was curious, he wouldn’t attempt to kill her. Their travel was a brutal one, just trees and trees, rock and grass, the summer sky above them with a scatter of white clouds that moved with them. She wondered if it was going to rain. By time they reached the next town over, the sun was already going down, and Xue Yang arranged himself by another hut without saying much to her.

“I need to unhinge a bit. Go for a walk or something,” he told her. By this, he meant that he needed to urinate, but she couldn’t help but flicker between a nod and a flash of irritation. They had been walking all day. She didn’t want to go on another walk, but she used it as a good excuse to get a drink of water from the lake.

As she walked down the hill again, the trees doubled themselves, and the lake danced midair and dropped again. She wasn’t seeing straight.

_I bet he’s not even pissing. What’s he doing? _She balanced herself against a tree, contemplating going near the water in case her hunger caused her to fall in. Xue Yang _did _seem overly quiet on the walk. Maybe the heat was getting to him too. YiSang approached the water, scooping it into her hands to drink. The rush of water against her lips and down her throat brought a cool sensation throughout her, like anything was possible. It gave her a bit of energy as she made her way back up the hill, a little regret over not having a bottle on her to give the annoying one some water.

_He could always get his own water, _she thought logically. Sure, he had one arm, but he had two legs. Yet, thinking about him trying to scoop up water with one palm and shoving it into his lips was a little much. She cringed at her lack of sympathy despite the fact that he was a psychopath. Her thighs hurt from lifting her legs, calves hurt from the exertion. The hill didn’t seem that complicated going down, but she found herself grabbing against trees to pull herself up. When she arrived at the top, she needed water again. With a sigh, she made her way back, losing a bit of the way along the path until she finally saw the abandoned hut. She creaked the door open without knocking.

_That was long enough for a piss he never took, _she thought just as her eyes caught sight of blood. It trickled down Xue Yang’s waist and across his ribcage. He was shirtless with the gore of his chopped off arm showing underneath its bandages. Seeing the flesh and the peel of skin instantly struck her senses as the smell followed. He had been changing the bandages, which was wholesomely impossible with one arm.

_He’s still in the middle of healing which means the battle wasn’t that long ago. Seeing how far it healed, it must’ve been a month or so. _She went over to sit next to him as he obviously tried to ignore her seeing him in such a state. Still, his breathing was quite normal, and he seemed unbothered by what must’ve been excruciating. She decided then that she would be just as nonchalant, if not a master at it. Taking the basin beside him, she soaked a towel and wiped the blood from his chest and side. She cleaned the towel and reapplied it, but ever carefully to the wound.

“Does it hurt?” She asked, though a stupid question. Up close, the wound was hideous, like she could imagine the pain of having the limb ripped off with the thickness of a blade.

“No, it feels pretty great. You should try it some time. I’ll even help you,” he told her, not meeting her gaze. Snatching up the towel from her hand, he trickled the water onto his wound and grunted ever quietly. YiSang could’ve rolled her eyes at his behavior. It wasn’t weakness to show that you were in pain when you were obviously in pain.

“Stop it,” she ordered.

“Stop what? Keeping myself alive?”

“Doing that while I’m doing it for you,” she snapped back, snatching the towel back. He had a bag of medicine beside him causing her to wonder where he got the money to buy it or if he simply stole it. It was most likely the latter. She took a bit of the medicine and sprinkled it onto the cut. With its touch, a gasp released from Xue Yang’s lips, and he swung at her. The side of his fist and arm hit her directly in the chest, causing her to fall backward, a shocked expression across her features. She took the bandages that was in her hands and threw them at him, standing up quickly and stomping out of the hut. As if it finally struck him what he did, he called out to her.

“Wait,” it was quiet, but said nevertheless. Then another one, “wait.”

YiSang walked faster, her chest physically hurting from the swing. Had she been more alert, she would’ve caught his arm in time, but she hadn’t expected it. He was supposed to just follow her around, not hit her when she tried to help him.

“Prostitute, wait! Come back, wait,” he called after her, walking out clumsily. People looked at him a bit bewildered. He was shirtless and _irregular_, bleeding all over himself. Kids ran from his proximity into their mothers’ arms as they were ordered back into the house.

_The _audacity _is real, _she raged in her head. The nerve of him to hit her and call her a prostitute and ask for her to wait for him. She could’ve turned around and killed him on the spot. But, when she turned around, she saw a rather vulnerable boy, paling from the blood lost and tortured by his pain. In his one hand lacked the sword he always carried, like it had been more important for him to make her come back then for him to defend himself. His lips were pale enough to be white, his skin dull. She sighed, walking closer, walking past him into the hut as he followed her back. Inside, she sat down and he did as well. She reapplied the medicine, a white powder across the entire wound, then she bandaged carefully. This time, he didn’t hide his pain, grimacing with each round of bandaging. He looked weak now. She had seen it, and he hadn’t wanted her to.

_So you hit me? Hit me so I won’t see it? You’re not invincible, Mister gets stabbed and acts like nothing happened. You die in the end, do you know that? Stop fighting it, _though her thoughts raged, she was ever careful. Then it suddenly hit her that Xue Yang _did _die. So, what was she doing now? Why had he survived this wound? What if he was in his dying phase? What if she was the reason he was going to live? Should she stop?

She looked at his cold sweat and eyes pinched shut and determined that it was the negative. Despite not being human, she certainly understood what it meant to be one. Psychopath or not, he was a pitiful character. He did not deserve to live like this.

“Does it hurt?” She asked again, because she wanted to hear him say it. It had to hurt. It had to hurt like hell. Why was he trying so hard to fight it then? Why not just bleed out and die? What was making him hold on?

“Yes,” he answered. His voice was small and clogged in his throat, like it couldn’t bare to tell her the truth of the matter. He needed her help.

_Oh_. For some reason, her eyebrows lifted in shock. She hadn’t expected him to answer in the positive. He was supposed to make another sarcastic remark so she could contemplate letting him die.

“Okay,” was all she thought she needed to say, but she added, “thank you for telling me.”

She finished bandaging him, then wrung the towel and put the medicine away in his pouch. Helping him back into his shirt, she returned his outer layer to him so that he could stay warm despite the heat. He needed to keep a fever from coming, because of his blood lost.

“Go get something to eat and rest. We’ll do some shopping tomorrow.” It was an order and he obeyed her. He got up slower than usual, looking at her wearily before he made for the exit. 

“I take it back. I care about those fish,” she told him. He paused at the door.

“Thank you for telling me,” he said before leaving.

When he left, the hut smelled of blood, something she didn’t realize until he was gone.


	3. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There was no point in telling Xue Yang that. He killed fifty people over his pinky after all. What could he understand? She fell asleep dreaming of lives taken for love.

Xue Yang returned eating a marinated chicken wing and some mandarin oranges. As soon as YiSang heard the creak of the hut door, she broke from her meditation position and acted as though she was going to sleep soon. It was getting late. His walk was longer than she had anticipated.

He looked better already. There was color in his cheeks, a sparkle in his eyes, and that amused expression was back. He sat down across from her, tearing the chicken from the bone, then began to struggle with peeling the mandarin oranges. YiSang, who busied herself with looking at her nails, sighed loudly at him and opened a palm to help him. He handed her the oranges, which she peeled easily, handing them back.

“Drank water?” She asked him, and he nodded like a kid. He ate with that expression the entire time, looking at nothing in particular. When he had finished, she yawned to herself. They had travelled for half of the day, he almost bled to death, she spent a majority of the day waiting for him to come back after refusing to go steal food for him. She was tired enough for sleep again. Her mediation had help guard her from her nausea, bringing her energies together. She felt a bit better, but needed to get some rest. Before she could lie down against the floor for there wasn’t much in this hut, not even loud chickens, an outer shirt was thrown at her. She was careful not to catch it in time in case it gave him reason to suspect her, so it hit her face and fell on her lap.

“You’re never ever getting it back,” she told him, stuffing it under her head and closing her eyes to refute anything he could say.

“I’m holding your ribbon hostage until you give it back,” he joked, but she was pretty sure he was serious. It didn’t really matter that the ribbon was a sacrifice someone had given her before they killed themselves. She would always remember the wish.

“Guardian, please listen to my voice. Take this as the token of my life for another. I pray for my love’s happiness always even if it isn’t for me.”

_I could’ve gave the ribbon back, but I took it. _She did. She needed sacrifices and wishes to live after all. It was what empowered her. It was the first ever wish she had ever received, one that made her the voice of the pond, the guardian. She was nothing without that wish.

There was no point in telling Xue Yang that. He killed fifty people over his pinky after all. What could he understand? She fell asleep dreaming of lives taken for love.

\---

Waking started to become harder, seeing that she hadn’t any wishes to replenish herself. No prayers, no wishes, no voices, just her own. Her eyes opened like a tight jar, someone knocking on the edges so they could pop open. It was her brain knocking into her senses and telling her to wake. She attempted to stretch but instead, she got up weakly, limbs close to her chest. Xue Yang entered just as she stood, eating loquats.

“You’re supposed to brush first then eat,” she told him, eyes still heavy and limbs even heavier.

“There’s rules to teeth brushing?”

“Yes, there actually are,” because there were. With that, Xue Yang pocketed his loquats and grabbed for her wrist, pulling her down to the river so he could brush. After they both tended to their hygiene, and a drink of water, YiSang felt her body lighten a bit.

“Alright, take me to the markets,” she told him. He raised an eyebrow but lead her to the stables and tables of shops along the village. Careful to cover her hair with his shirt, she saw all of the fruits and the fresh meat, even saw a chicken attempt to run away, before she settled on what she had been searching for. A table of needles and thread. She looked for the thinnest needle and quality thread. Once she found exactly the pair, she looked at Xue Yang expectantly.

“What?” He finally asked, obviously bored out of his mind. Why the hell were they looking at this stuff? 

“_Pay_,” she ordered.

“What?” He asked, but in a different tone, a confused one. But he fished out some coins, finding that the price of the needle and thread was a bit more pricey than he liked. It was just threading, why would it cost so much?

_Why do you need such quality thread? _He thought to himself, narrowing his eyes at her back. Was she going to make herself some clothes? _Take my shirt to wear, take my money, _and _still making more things for yourself? So needy. _But looking at her clothes made him think about the quality of it. It certainly would never last in the winter, and there was barely any fabric in her top. Was it even called clothes anymore? Her pants were too big and her arms were all out.

He didn’t have anymore money. That was all he had taken from Xiao XingChen, or all that was left of it. She had better make him a shirt too!

_Xiao XingChen…_his expression dropped, and his arm started to hurt again like a ghost limb. He instantly paled, catching the edge of the table with his one available hand.

“Time to go eat those loquats and actually go to sleep,” YiSang said with a huge sarcastic smile on her face. He frowned at her, loosening his grip on the table to feign being stable again. She shook her head and pointed back in the direction of the hut.

“I _did_ sleep.” Lie. He couldn’t even meet her gaze when he said it, staring at the threading strings like he knew the difference between them besides color. She hadn’t even chosen a good color. It had been a boring nude.

“You really think I’ll attack you in the middle of the night? I’m a lady.” She put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips.

“That’s not what I was thinking about! Just because you’re a lady doesn’t mean you can’t be dangerous!” He was raising his voice. This shouldn’t have made him raise his voice.

“So, you admit to not sleeping because i’m so dangerous, right? Fine, stay awake until you die by yourself. I’m going to go look for somewhere to bathe.” Lie. But she looked him in the eye and said it. She needed to mediate to get her energy back for the day, and she couldn’t risk him seeing her do so for hours on end. She may not have been a cultivator, but it was odd enough for her to meditate.

Xue Yang grew quiet.

“What now?” She asked, looking up at him.

“Nothing,” he snapped at her, turning and walking back, stuffing loquats in his mouth to keep from yelling something foul, maybe.

She meditated for an hour before she trudged back to the hut. It was noon and time for another adventure. Sticking her head in the hut, she found Xue Yang was indeed sleeping. Now she had to wait again.

_Or did he die? _Her eyes widened as she crawled closer, just to notice that his chest rose and fell evenly. Oh, he was completely fine. She distanced herself and listened to her stomach growl until he woke up. It was around two in the afternoon when he woke with a start, reaching for his blade which was already resting in his arm, when he saw her.

“Refreshed? We have a lot of hours to cover, so up up!” She hopped to her feet, regretting it instantly when pine needles ran through her blood. She fell back into the ground and got up again, an open mouth smile still on her face. She had a plan.


End file.
